Just wondered if it is possible to have bullet failure with 40 grain v max out of a .22-250?

I was shooting rabbits last night out to 300 yards and then took a shot at one at only 100 yards and missed. Not even close. I wondered if anyone had experienced bullet failure out of a high velocity 22 or it ofcourse could have been i just missed but i was shooting from a bench like position so it was strange to miss at this range. I also shot 16 last night and that was the only one i missed but it was completely inexplicable.

The bullet is hornady 40 grain v max and they are travelling at about 4150 fps.

Many thanks in advance

There was no bullet failure. You just simply missed. When shooting from 300 yards to 100 yards you have to compensate for the bullet rise and drop. When I have my 22-250 shooting 50 v-maxes zeroed at 300 yards then I shoot at a PD at 100 yards I have to aim at it's feet otherwise I just simply shoot over it.

hey hey hey - now i've got another excuse for missing

Thanks all

No i hadn't ruled out missing at all but also wondered at what kind of velocity you may experience bullet failure. I would think that at 4150fps it is not close as i believe the velocity from a middlestead is around 5000fps?

My buddy uses a .22-250 Ackley Improved with 40gr bullets quite a bit and he loads them hot (that's where he gets his best accuracy). He's never had one explode...yet, except on prairie dogs. Talk about aerial!!!

Never count on anything with a: "but once" experience. Except women of course.

40gr V max's you shouldn't have a problem.

I shot a 250 ct box of 35gr and they were great at under 200yds. Much over that and they went wild, all over the hillside by 50-100yds is what I mean WILD!!

Only time any bullets have actually failed for me were: 35gr thru some weeds at 80-100yds at a coyote. Perfect aim, I'm convinced it exploded as we found small holes in weed stems near where he was standing.

The other time was a 300Win w/180gr CoreLokt that blew up on the surface of a cow elk at 200yds. At that range it should have gone clear thru with the side rib shot it made.

It's plumb amazing/shocking to miss up close like that. I do it often after/during a long range session. Just don't seem possible, does it??

One time I shot a bunch of cottontails with my 06. Several of them had no shoulders or heads. Just gotta learn to allow for that 2" rise for the scopes is all.
George

George

Very interesting. When you say the 35's went wild after 200yards do you mean that accuracy dropped off/was non existent?

Thanks

Jon

Was shooting p/dogs scattered all over a short grass hillside sloping away to the horison about 600yds. Quite a few dogs out, acted like they'd never been shot up before as they'd not hide in the hole, some would stand, most would keep doing their thing. I only had about 20-30 shells along as we were coyote calling and this was on the way back to the truck and unknowingly came across this fair sized town on a ranch neither of us had been on before.

Anything within 225yds were not missed. Was really hittin 'em that day with a witness. (SSCoyote).

Any around 250yds was sporatic, maybe a hit, maybe not. Much beyond that it was impossible to predict where the bullets might hit. Never in the same place. Might be 5 feet to one side, or 75 yards in any direction. I shot at least ten shots and I'll bet Steve will agree the furthest hits kicked up dirt no less than 100yds apart from left to right and out to 150yds beyond the targeted p/dog. The only one thing those shots all had in common: everyone was a wide miss.

Talking to Paul Box at Sierra about it on the phone the next day. He said: "they were made for under 200yd .22 Hornet shooting. I was asking them to do things they were not designed for."
Christ, all I wanted was to shoot hell out of prairie dogs!! Is that asking for something a bullet wasn't designed for????? I still have about 100-150 left and will never buy any more less than 40gr.

The amazing part of the whole deal. They and the 40gr V maxs were all the most accurate shooting bullets in my gun with a fresh barrel at 100yd paper. The 35gr made barely under .300", while the 40's were the one hole shooters, best group was .260"/10 shots! No group with 40gr V max was over .3" no matter whether 3, or 15 shots.

They do the J O B on coyotes and p/dogs out as far as I have hit them. Beyond 500yds. Anything 400yds and less is in very serious danger of loss of life. The 40's will not exit a coyote either, great fur loads, instant death.

Ok, my gun: Sako Vixen, shot the factory .222mag barrel out and had just had it rebarreled with a 14" twist A&B from Midway in .223, 26" long. At that time, SSCoyote and I were hunting partners a few years in '99-2002. I had about 5 different types of bullets and he donated 14 others of various brands and wts 55gr and less for bullet testing, sorting. In all, I had 19 different bullets to try and only used one loading for all. I bought a box of 250 of the 35gr V max. Steve witnessed some of the test firing of these. He could barely contain his enthusiasm, about all he could say and kept repeating was: "that thing/gun shoots like a house afire". I've yet to figure out what that means. It's damned accurate, no question about that. Simmons 6-18x was new, as the stock was. I can send you pictures of the gun if you'll send your e/m to: georgeld@hotmail.com

My load is: CCI 400, 23gr AA2200 for all bullets. 55gr=3170fps, 35 & 40gr both the same 3640fps. I don't shoot any heavier bullets in this gun. NO real reason, I just don't. The 55gr I shoot most for p/dogs are Rem's El Cheapo's by the pound, about 3-5 cents each. When getting them, I hand the clerk a cup and tell him to fill it up. Then when I get home they are dumped into a 3# coffee can of whatever is left of the prior purchases. I don't run out, and the can has been running over full a few times, theres a lot of bullets in a can that size. The others I keep seperated.

Brass don't matter to me, long as it's good enough to use. When fired they go in the shaker to clean, then full length sized, trimmed, polished, loaded and polished again. I like shiny ammo. Seems to cycle thru the gun better and looks nice.

You make up your own mind if my description of what they do fits the pattern of: Wild shots, or not.

Jon2: This gun's original barrel was shot out at about 6000 rounds. My folks lived on a ranch surrounded by prairie dogs. When I was first home from the Army in March '73 I spent a lot of hours most everyday for 7-8 months shooting hell out of them. Many days I'd shoot 400 rounds thru it. I only had 100 cases, so that meant driving to the house less than 2 miles and reloading them. Most of the time getting more cold beer and a snack too. Quite a number of times I hit 98 out of the 100 shots. But, never did get 100/100. Most were shot out the car window driving around the towns. Some shots were less than 20 feet at first, most of the misses were in excess of 400yds. I just about did not miss between 50 and 400 yds. It's still that way once I get settled in during a session.
I'd like to discuss your home country by e/m, please send me a note.

Hope all this has explained things well enough for you.
George